DARPA program of 1984 that proved the technologies and concept for the X-30 National Aerospace Plane concept.

Copper Canyon was a Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency program of 1984 that studied an air-breathing SSTO concept. The concept was considered validated and led to the X-30 National Aerospace Plane project of 1986, at the expense of the USAF AMSC.Concepts used in the X-30 included newmaterials, structures, and manufacturing processes. These included a composite hydrogen tank, a propellant utilisation fraction of 0.74, carbon-carbon aerodynamic surfaces, high temperature heat pipe sharp leading edges, use of computational flow dynamics to model the aerodynamic shape, and slush hydrogen as a fuel.

Associated Spacecraft: Copper Canyon.